Samuel andrews



S.. ANDREWS.

SAFETY VALVE POR'OIL STILLS.

Patented Oct. 15

-mm WWW 1 Q gums gram gem IMPROVED SAFETY-VALVE FOR OIL-STILLS- 'dilgt 5:13am ttitttth in in time fishers ziteui nut making and at tip Sifllit.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONGERN:.

Be it known that L/SAMUEL'ANDREWS, of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, in the State of Ohio, have invented a new and improved Safety-Valve to be used in Stills for Treating Petroleum, &c.; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference beinglhad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a still with safety-valve attached.

.Figure 2 is a vertical section showing the mode of constructing and applying my safety-valve.

The nature of this invention consists in the construction and application of a safety-valve to be placed in the bottom of oil-stills as a preventive against the flow of the contents of the still in case of accident of any kind happening to the tar pipe; as in the case of the breaking out of fire in oil refineries it has always been impossible to save the contents of the stills from being consumed, because of the breaking, bursting, or fracturing of the tar pipesfrom the falling of timbers or debris, or any of the causes incident thereto, and permitting the escape of the entire contents of the stills, thus greatly enhancing the dangers attendant upon the manufacture of oils,'&c. also, in extreme cold weather, pipes frequently burst. from that cause, and the contents wasted.

To enable others to understand my invention, I will describe its construction and operatiom In the bottom of the still A I place a tube, B, having'a flange, b, for the purpose of securing it to the still. Upon two opposite sides of the flange b are placed two posts, C, provided at the upper end with a screw-thread and nuts 0!. Passing across from near the top of one to the other of, these posts is a cross-piece, D, having a hole ,in each end through which the posts C pass, and which is secured in place by the uutsd d. It also has a hole in the middle. About midway down the tube B there is secured a cross-bar, E, through the middle of which there is also a hole, the purposes of which are hereafter stated. F is a valve, having its seat in the top of the tube 13, and attached to it is a rod, g, which passes through the hole in the middle of the cross-piece D, and also through the hole in the cross-bar E, and up and down through which holes it has play between the valveseat inthe top of the tube 13 and the cross-piece D. In the top of the rod 9 there is a ring, 72, to which is connccted a chain, 2', which is of sulficient length to hang loose, as seen in fig. 2, allowing the valve to remain in its seat, In the .top of the still is a short tube, K, provided with a cap, L, which screws down upon the tube, the upper end of the chain {being attached by a swivel-joint to the inside of the cap L, thus connecting the same with the ring h of the rod 9 of the valve F.

The practical operation of the above-described apparatus is as follows: Whenever the cap Lis in place upon the tube K, it will be seen that the chain 1' hangs loose, and the valve F occupies its seat in the top of the tube 13, and there can be .no escape or flow of the contents of the still, so that in case of the tar pipe I? becoming broken or damaged, the liability of loss of said contents cannotitake place while the valve is free to remain in place. -Should it be desired to draw 0d the contents in the still after the completion of the work of treatment, it -can be done by unscrewing the cap L and allowing it to hang by the chain 1' outside of the still, which by its weight would raise the valve F up to the cross-piece D, thus leaving an open space sufficient for the tar to run off.

By the use of a safety-valve of the above description the liabilities to the dangers before referred to are entirely overcome, thusrendering my invention of superior advantage, and one which is required by those who are engaged in the dangerous occupation of refining petroleum and kindred substances.

Having thus described myi'n-vention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- The herein-described safety-valve, constructed and applied to oil-stills substantially in the manner as and for the-purpose set forth.

SAMUEL ANDREWS Witnesses:

Geo. W. Tmslrs, Gno. Hessian. 

